Serenity
by baektobasics
Summary: Not everything that glitters, is gold. No one knows that better than Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun. Their entire life's, they were surrounded by pain and lies. By the cold. As they finally decide to leave it all behind, their paths cross. It is a long way to happiness but it doesn't feel all that long when you finally find someone to call home, right? (ChanBaek teen/runaway au)
1. Prologue

In a small town, full of blooming flowers and happy people, what was normal? In a small town full of normal people, how was he supposed to findhishappiness? When would he feel warmth? Love, even?

Byun Baekhyuns life wasn't normal.

Hadn't ever been.

Byun Baekhyuns life was shitty at best and absolute horror at worst. As the only child of a violent drug addict and the local whore, life really wasn't all that easy. No. Not at all.

Byun Baekhyun wasn't normal.

Wouldn't ever be.

The sun shone down and weakly broke through the dusted, milky window of a rundown apartment building, illuminating a myriad of colors on pale skin. In a town where the sun was ever present, how came, all the pain was shrouded in shadows? How came the light,the warmth,never reached a single, lonely boy?

How came the darkness seemed to follow him, swallow him and cover him up wherever he went? His nightmares.. was it possible to escape them? Was it possible to run and leave the darkness behind?

The swing on the playground went back and forth with the moving legs of a small, brightly smiling boy, his innocence and pure, carefree laughter astounding and delighting his proud parents and random passerbys alike.

Baekhyun couldn't remember ever being that innocent. That happy.

He couldn't remember his parents ever being proud of him. Loving him.

Heck, he couldn't even remember ever having blemish free skin. Wearing shorts and shirt when the first heat wave arrived.No. He was always covered up in fabric, shadows and lies.

The fifteen year old sat on the windowsill of his tiny bedroom and sighed. In a small town where everybody seemed to be happy... why couldn't he?

With one last look out of his dirty, cracked window, the small boy stood up and swung his battered, old backpack over his shoulders. He threw one last longing look at the kitchen, imagining how it would look like with a set breakfast table and a laughing family of three, instead of the cold empty and discarded bottles it always held.

The door clicked shut as Byun Baekhyun left.

Truly left.

For the very first and the very last time in his life.

In a small town where there was always peace and quiet,serenity, how came it didn't reach him? How came, people were laughing freely and unburdened, while his chest always felt tight and he always struggled for air.

In a small town, that was home for every single one of its residents, how came he was always restless? When and where would hefind peace?When would he ever feel at home?

Park Chanyeol was normal.

No.

Park Chanyeol wassupposedto be normal.

He was the son of a very successful and renowned couple.

And the younger brother of two siblings he would never manage to measure up to.

His life consisted of parties, designer clothes and everything handed to him on a silver platter, ever since he was little. Camera flashes, bright white perfect smiles, demure, bashful laughter and giggling directed at him and warm hands in his hair.The picture perfect family.

As long as they where in public.

Everything was perfect.

Too perfect.

Fake.

He wondered how nobody ever saw through the masquerade. How nobody saw the abnormal brightness of their smiles. How nobody heard the hollowness their laughter always held and how uncomfortable and forced every bodily interaction was.

How came they lived their life out in the open, in the spotlight, without anyone ever noticing? There where no shadows in his life to hide it all behind. There was only the light that seemed to blind anyone he ever encountered.

He walked along the sidewalk, scuffing his expensive leather shoes on the pavement every once in a while and traced the bird of prey, circling up above him, with his eyes. That was freedom. He heard it every spring when nature woke up and brought a cacophony of chirping voices, a vibrant, lively symphony of happiness. Chanyeol watched for a moment longer before smiling and trekking on. His first real smile in forever. It felt nice. It felt free.

The tall lanky form of the sixteen year old made its way down a winding, deserted road near the town borders. He turned around, his eyes unreadable, as he looked back at the only home he had ever known.The only life he had ever known.

The setting sun bathed the still and picturesque town in waves of gold and Chanyeols last thought, before continuing on his journey was, how something that always felt so cold, could look that warm.


	2. Chapter 1

Baekhyun watched as the sun rose above the sea of trees surrounding him. He had eaten his last real meal three days ago and finished off the last remaining crumbs of bread he had, a few hours ago. His stomach was empty, his throat was parched, his back hurt from sleeping on the hard ground and the only water he had, to get himself clean, was a cold mountain lake.

And yet it was the best morning he had, in a long long time.

It was the first time in his life, his back hurt because of something as innocent as sleeping on the ground. It was the first time in his life he awoke to a soft caressing breeze on his cheek and chirping of birds, instead of the harsh hands of his father or the incoherent screaming of his mother.

The teen blinked drowsily as he gathered his things and made to move onward again. He may be used to going without food and water and could endure such a thing for a long time, way longer than a fifteen year old should be able to, but he wanted to reach the train-station in two days time, at least.

He shook his tired and stiff limbs a few times before trekking on, smiling softly as he whistled a merry tune to himself and strengthened his resolve.

He would make a name for himself.

He would show them all.

So deep into thought he was, he never noticed the approaching, lanky figure calling out for him to wait up and stop.

Chanyeol sighed, his hand still clutching the battered old silver bracelet that was swinging forlornly back and forth as he watched the small figure disappear farther down the road, until he couldn't see it anymore.

The sixteen year old let his shoulders slump down in defeat, in such a way that his parents definitely would have given him hell for it and frowned, before examining the accessory closer.

Baekhyun.

It was simple and wellworn.

After a short break and a small meal consisting of an apple and half an empty bottle of water he made to get up again and examined his find, once again. He hesitated a moment before stuffing the delicate metal into his trouser pockets and marched on.

That person certainly wouldn't get the piece back if he left it here, where they seemed to have lost it. No. Chanyeol would ask around when he arrived in town and if there was still no sight of the owner he would leave it with the police, in case someone asked for it.

Baekhyun wandered aimlessly around the small, friendly market stalls that spotted the inner most part of the town and calculated if it was worth the struggle and the loss of more money yet again, to push himself through the throng of people separating him and his target, a tiny market stand selling fresh fruit.

His train would leave in about three hours and he would be out of these godforsaken small towns, finally making his way towards the countries capital and leaving the constricting small town life behind for all eternity. He would make it big. He would never let himself be caged and controlled ever again. Never again.

The small brunette fought himself out of the crowd and to the front of the line, buying himself a small handful of the cheapest fruits he could find. The chubby ahjumma managing the stall threw him a pitying look and handed him three more apples for free.

He never liked pity, but nodded in thanks non the less and gave her a small bashful smile.

She meant well after all and beggars can't be choosers.

Traipsing his way around town he indulged and treated himself to one warm, oven-fresh pastry and sat down on a small stone-bridge near the train-station.

People watching had always been a favorite pass-time of his. He often sat on the steps of the local library and watched the comings and goings of people, wondering if some of them hid as much as he did. If some of them shared the heavy burden of keeping huge secrets.

He munched thoughtfully on his pastry and wondered if the girl with the broken arm had received it from a simple game of football, or was it a bully maybe?Her father?

And the happy, smiling man, grasping onto his girlfriends,wife's?, arm. He wondered if his grip was too tight, too possessive, or if he just held her loosely in order not to lose her in the crowd.Would it bruise?

Or the boisterous, loud shop owner, with his stark red face? Did his shop go well or was he struggling financially? Did he maybe take to drugs and alcohol to numb his pain, when no one else was watching? It would certainly explain the color of his face.

He watched as a tiredly smiling woman made her way down the road, her gait ungainly and awkward, and wondered if she was just tired or if-

The clock struck three and spooked the dozens of birds inhabiting the market place into the air in an upset and frantic cacophony of screeches.

Baekhyun crumpled the empty paper bag in his hands and threw the last remaining evidence of his small meal, into the bin.

His train left in half an hour and he felt the excitement run through his body, his muscles strained with nerves, as the unfamiliar thrill of new beginnings started to stir in his soul.

Fifteen minutes left, was when Baekhyun whipped his head around as he heard someone say his name. His first reaction was to panic, thinking his parents might have followed him here to force him back, but then his head cleared and his heart calmed.

His parents hated him as much as he hated them.

And as useful as he could be, doing the dirty work for them and laboring his bum off to bring money home, he doubted, in their drug induced haze, they even realized he was gone yet.

"..found.. there's.. Baekhyun.." He searched the crowd for the voice and found its owner in the form of a tall, handsome yet dorky looking boy his age. Baekhyuns eyes zeroed in on the twitching, wide eyes and the too wide smile and finally came to rest on the boys stretched out hand, holding a familiar bracelet between his digits.

"MY LUCKY BRACELET!"

He threw a disbelieving look onto his very much empty wrist and hastily stepped forward.


	3. Chapter 2

Before Chanyeol, or anyone else for that matter, could react the delicate metal was snatched out of his hands and he was left staring dumbly at the empty air, where the precious silver was supposed to be. He peered down at the agitated form of a small, brown haired boy with cute droopy eyes and a charming rectangled smile.

The tall male was left stumped as he dazedly watched the boy closely examine the shiny piece of silver. Delicate, elegant digits carefully moving and spinning the filigree bracelet in his grasp and examining the piece with sharp and focused eyes.

The speakers echoing through the entire station broke him out of his awed state, as they alerted the crowd to an incoming train and announced the departure of another.

The lanky boy turned around to ask the boy, no, Baekhyun, to where he was headed only to find the space next to him unoccupied. He awkwardly turned around and scanned the crowd for any sign of the puppy like boy.

He was gone.

„Last call! All passengers for Station 3C, headed for Seoul Central Station, will leave in two minutes, please board the train. This is your last call up. All passengers for Station 3C, please board now!"The old speakers blared rustily over the bustling station and Chanyeol hastily broke into a run, searching for the right platform and boarding the train just in time, the doors closing behind him mere seconds later.

Exhausted, he swept his sweaty bangs out of his face and heaved with exertion and disappointment. Stumbling down the aisle and into his designated seat at last, the sixteen year old dropped his head against the windowpane and closed his tired eyes, dreaming of soft brown hair and sparkling puppy eyes.

Baekhyun stumbled and shoved his way hurriedly through the crowd and down the stairs towards the gangway, frantically searching for the right turn up, to make it to his train on time.

The petit fifteen year old felt sorry for leaving the tall stranger like that, but this was his one and only chance at freedom and he wasn't about to toss that away for one meager minute of awkward thank you's and pleasantries. Not when freedom was so close, he could almost taste the polluted air, the hot pot of smells, the freedom the capital would surely bring. He wasn't going to give that up, no, he would only stop when he showed them all and no sooner.

He boarded the train with relief, found his seat and pushed and pulled at his jacket and small pillow until it was comfortable enough for him to lean against and recline into his seat. Sighing tiredly he watched the crowd outside the window pane, some hurrying to get aboard on time, some leisurely strolling down the platform and some reuniting with friends and family.

His heavy eyes were about to close when he saw a familiar curly head towering and bobbing over the masses. He craned his neck to find it again. No such luck. He might've imagined it, in his sleep deprived mind.

Not able to fight it any longer, he fell into a restless sleep.

Two hours later had Baekhyun waking up and rubbing his eyes blearily. He could run away from his reality all he wanted, the memories would follow him.

Sighing he stood up and left the compartment, making his way down several aisles until he found what he was looking for.

He opened the door leading to the tiny balcony outside, on the tail end of the train and observed the rails passing right under him. Breathing in for a moment, enjoying the fresh air, he turned around, closed the slightly rusty door again and skillfully scaled the small ladder, leading onto the roof of the compartment.

Being inside felt suffocating, he couldn't take it anymore. This however, felt free. Sitting down cross legged and pulling his coat tighter around him, he enjoyed the scenery. The golden orb was slowly making its way down the sky, touching everything in sight with her warm and soft, golden glow, making place for her pale sister and her twinkling companions, who started slowly appearing on the soft blue and pink sky.

Baekhyun smiled softly as he watched fields of hay and wildflowers, rivers and tiny specks he guessed to be small towns, pass by.

Chanyeol woke with a startle as his compartment door opened. He watched with sleepy eyes as a familiar form with brown hair made their way through and moved to cross and go on to the next compartment.

His eyes fixed on the frail back of the boy, Chanyeol got up and started getting his things together, following Baekhyun through the train until they reached the end and the strange boy opened the door and stepped onto the small balcony. He watched for a moment as the agitated and stiff form relaxed and all the stress, the sadness and fear that rolled off the small form in waves, only moments before, seemed to blow away with the wind stroking his soft cheeks.

Moments later, not aware of Chanyeols presence, the male closed the door shut.

Blinking drowsily the handsome giant stepped forward and hesitated shortly before he opened it up again. Worry filled his gut and churned in his stomach as he didn't see a single sign of the boy, who only moments before, stood right where he stood now. Helplessly turning around, he choked a few times in his panic and was just to run inside to pull the alarm handle, when he heard a fluttery sound from above him.

Scrunching his brows he looked up and saw nothing. The sound didn't stop though. Searching with his eyes, he spotted the small ladder leading up. Sighing he slowly started climbing, step by step and heaved himself up the rest of the way.

The boy sat facing the setting sun, his face bathed in the last remaining rays of the day, as he watched serenely as the countryside passed them.

The boy, Baekhyun, sighed and for a moment Chanyeol thought the sad look in his eyes would return. What, instead, graced his face however was what Chanyeol was sure, had to be the most beautiful smile in the world.

It was only a small, soft stretch of lips, so subtle it almost wasn't there. And yet it was blinding and absolutely radiant and Chanyeol felt the overwhelming need to see this smile directed at him, to be the cause of it and possibly even, one day, see its full strength, when it's ownerwas at his happiest.

For a moment there was only the sun in that smile,

the stars in those eyes

and the breeze in that graceful body.

And Park Chanyeol was left breathless.


	4. Chapter 3

Struggling for breath Chanyeol froze on his spot near the edge and was hesitant of how to proceed. The boy was so beautiful, he was almost scared to come near him, afraid the illusion would shatter before his very eyes and the moment be ruined forever. His anxiety ridden brain urged him to tail out of it and disappear down the stairs again, to spare himself the embarrassment that would surely follow. And no matter how many times Chanyeol had run and hid in the past, from strangers, responsibilities, from life; he couldn't seem to do it now.

All his life he was stuck in a play, his costume, character, forever tied and geared towards what was expected of him. Of what they expected him to be. Park Chanyeol simply didn't know how to be Park Chanyeol. Oh, he knew how to play his part of the doting son, the responsible heir, just fine. But how to be himself? No.

Struggling for a moment more, he gathered all the courage his cowardly limbs seemed to possess, breathed in deeply through his nose and robbed his way over. He straightened up and almost lost his ballance, his gangly limbs furiously cutting the air. Chanyeols panicked gaze met wide, chocolate brown eyes and he cursed himself for destroying the peaceful moment he caught the other boy in, just seconds before.

And then soft hands grabbed him, long, elegant fingers wrapped around his wrists and he stilled, staring at the boy in front of him.

„You are having a thing for dramatics, aren't you?" The boy smiled softly.

There was nothing mocking in his words, his gaze and Chanyeol rubbed his neck sheepishly.

„I am sorry... I didn't want to disturb you. I saw you rushing down the hallway and you looked pretty upset and alone and than I panicked not seeing you on the small balcony and I thought.. and than I saw you up here and you looked alright but I wanted to make sure, you know? You looked like you could need a friend and I never had one before, so I thought, since we already met before.. I.. well" The tall teen flushed deeply embarrassed by his nervous rambling and cut himself off.

„You are cute." Baekhyun said quietly. „I like you"

And if the Park heir had fallen down onto the rails and this was heaven, he wasn't going to complain. This angel, this glowing soul liked him, thought he was cute. A dazed, dopey grin appeared on his face.

„Your ears are all red when you are embarrassed." The shorter whispered, his face drawing nearer as he tugged at the tallers ears fondly. „And your eyes twitch when you smile." He whispered, eyes twinkling. Chanyeol wanted to disappear.

The taller drew back and looked down onto his hands, smile faltering. Since he was little his family had reprimanded him for it. Slaps on the back of his head to stop „looking so retardedly" were common, they had an image to uphold after all. Chanyeol grasped his ears shakily. Maybe, just maybe he should've listened to his parents when they wanted him to go see a surgeon for his ears. His shoulders slumped dejectedly.

„Your smile is beautiful, you know?" A feathery touch on his cheeks made the heir look up. „Its so honest and warm.. No one has ever smiled at me like that.." Blushing, Baekhyun dropped his hands.

„L-like what..?"

„Like I am worthy.."

It had been three weeks since that night and Chanyeol still couldn't get the beautiful, yet sad smile out of his head, his broken parting words ringing in his ears. Baekhyun had left right after, disappearing down the stairs and vanishing into the train like hed never been there. Like they'd never met. Like hed never stolen Park Chanyeols heart, with just a single tired smile.

Chanyeol tossed and turned in the small camp-bed in the dingy, rundown, little room he found. He couldn't forget the boy with the sad droopy eyes.

„Chanyeol, what the hell is wrong, you have been off right from the start, now tell me whats bothering you or shut the fuck up so we can sleep and pretend everything is fine in the morning." Kyungsoo rolled around to face him, his wide, earnest eyes almost shining in the moonlight.

He turned around to meet his fiery roommates eyes and sighed. "Did you ever... meet someone..like..some kind of...almost soulmate?.. And instantly felt like the world stopped spinning and all noises stopped? You know.. Like the entire center of your universe was shifted and hooked onto that one single person from that moment onwards?" He furrowed his brows forlornly and refused to meet eyes with the other, knowing he wasn't one for cheesy things like that.

To his surprise, Kyungsoos eyes softened.

The shorter boy got up and sat down onto the edge of the gangly teens bed.

"No.. I cant say I have.. but where ever he is, you should stop torturing yourself like that and live life as happy as possible... if you really are, soulmates I mean, than don't you think you will meet again? I am sure if you just make the best of any moment your paths will cross again... My grandparents were always certain about that, you know?" Kyungsoo smiled wistfully.

"You believe in that? Fate, soulmates, all that jazz?" He scrunched his eyes in surprise.

"I am not surprised you seem shocked." The small male chuckled. "I don't seem like the type, do I?"

"I am sorry." Chanyeol smiled bashfully at him.

"Its okay." He paused before turning to look at the taller boy again. "I have never experienced it myself, but I have lived with my grandparents for a very long time and since very young since the passing of my parents... and seeing those two and not believing in soulmates just isn't possible." He smiled softly to himself and got up to locate to his own measlycamp-bed again.

"No matter how, I am sure you will meet again, Chanyeol." They locked gazes. "And when that moment comes, you don't want to repel him with those eyebags of yours, do you?" Kyungsoo laughed cheekily as the taller threw a pillow in his face.

His chest felt lighter than it had in a long time and the first night in three weeks, Park Chanyeol fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He sighed happily into his pillow.

He couldn't wait to meet Baekhyun outside of his dreams again.


End file.
